An Apology And Old Fashioned Custard Pie

First of all, I apologize for the long delay with no posts. I was hibernating with the hedgehogs for the winter, and lately I've been spending all of my time performing music at the Sherwood Forest Faire and getting ready to move to a new house at the end of this month (which means I've only got two more days to pack and move before I spend my entire weekend out at faire! Eek!)

I've got SO much I want to share with you - I've visited a bunch of awesome restaurants, made several yummy dishes, and got a new kitten, who is the most adorable kitty ever (but don't tell my cat.) However, it's going to have to wait another week or two until after I've moved and unpacked enough to have some semblance of my office intact.

For the time being, I shall share with you my vegan interpretation of Old Fashioned Custard Pie, which I'm modifying from Hillbilly Recipes. I haven't actually made this yet, but I plan on it once we move and unpack all our kitchen paraphernalia. If you made it, let me know how it goes!

Old Fashioned Custard Pie

1 unbaked pie shell (or make your own - my favorite is the olive oil crust from "Vegan Pie In The Sky")
3 flax "eggs" OR 1 flax "egg" and 1 mashed banana
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 2/3 cups of non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix "eggs" [1 tablespoon fresh-ground flax meal plus 3 tablespoons water per "egg", and refrigerate mixture for 15-60 minutes to thicken] and mashed banana (if using), then add sugar, salt, nutmeg, and milk. Beat well and pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle the top of pie with fresh ground nutmeg.

Gen Con 2013 & RESTAURANT REVIEW - Cafe Gratitude, Kansas City, MO

When last we left our intrepid explorers, they were looking for parking in downtown Indianapolis for Gen Con 2013.





An hour after reaching downtown, Hedgie finally spotted a garage that only charged $10 a night (there was no free parking anywhere). April parked and proceeded to make multiple trips from the garage to the convention center and then more trips to the hotel (because walking 8 miles in Toronto wasn't nearly enough), as the hedgehogs provided moral support.

April got her CDs set up on the table she was sharing with Marc Gunn -



- and went to play music for all of the wonderful geeky attendees (including an adorable Robin).



While at Gen Con, food consisted mainly of heat & eat Indian packet meals, cereal, and Cliff/Luna/Pro bars, so the hedgehogs regret to inform you that there are no exciting food pictures. To make up for it, here are some pictures from Gen Con itself -


Cardhalla. Anyone who wanted to could add to the impressive array of card structures.

Amazing cosplay -



After 4 days of exciting and exhausting fun, April and the hedgehogs packed up, said goodbye to Indiana, and drove to Kansas City, MO, where April would be staying during the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. April had a free week in between Gen Con and KCRF, and was planning on flying home to Austin for a quick visit, but had a chance to eat at Cafe Gratitude before the flight.

Cafe Gratitude
333 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108
Facebook page





Everything at Cafe Gratitude is vegan, and lots of it is raw as well. The names of all the dishes are affirmations, and they even have a "community supported grain bowl" called "I Am Greatful", that helps to feed the hungry - "Shredded kale with quinoa, black beans & garlic-tahini sauce. Payment is by donation. Minimum donation is $2.00. Suggested value is $7. Feed yourself & someone in need $14. For grateful bowl policy details, see server."

On this particular visit, April had the "I Am Rich" juice (orange, carrot, lemon & beet) and the "I Am Fabulous" (a raw lasagne which isn't actually on the menu), which were delicious.



For dessert, she splurged a bit and got the "I Am Joy", a vegan truffle that does a great job impersonating an Almond Joy candy bar. (So very, very tasty.)



Since she went to Cafe Gratitude the day before her flight, April decided to also get something for the next morning's breakfast. The "I Am Peace" (live onion bagel with cashew crème cheese, nori “lox,” tomato, onion, capers & sprouts) sounded intriguing, so she got it to-go.



A note on the "I Am Peace" - it was delicious, but the "bagel" was really more of a raw flatbread.

Here's what April and her friend got the last time they visited Cafe Gratitude -


I Am Worthy - kale, beet, celery, apple & ginger juice.


I Am Awake - gluten-free buckwheat-banana pancakes drizzled with maple syrup. (Delicious!)


I Am Creative - a unique creation of pizza flavors with tomato, basil, hemp seed pesto, nut parmesan & cashew ricotta cheese on our live onion sunflower crust. (This may be April's favorite thing.)


Dessert Tray. We'll have one of everything, please.


I Am Bliss - chocolate hazelnut pie. (Very rich, very tasty.)

RESTAURANT REVIEWS - The Hogtown Vegan & Bunner's Bakeshop, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (and The Trip To Michigan)

After finishing the banner for her solo music act, April took the last day in Toronto to do some sight-seeing. After the fact, a quick study on Google Maps suggests that she probably walked about 8 miles altogether. (The hedgehogs were freeloaders and rode in her purse.)

After all that walking, some food was certainly in order. A web search had pulled up The Hogtown Vegan, which sounded very promising.

The Hogtown Vegan
834 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G 1M3, Canada
Twitter Page



Hedgie and Buttercup present: Some Facts About The Hogtown Vegan -





One other fact of note - The Hogtown Vegan is a cash-only establishment.

There were so many awesome things on the menu, but the Stuffed French Toast (with peanut butter, banana, and vegan bacon) really spoke to Hedgie's inner Elvis. April paid a bit extra to get collard greens on the side - healthy's gotta come from somewhere! She's a musician, too; one can't tempt fate!





You'd think, after all that amazing richness, that no one could possibly eat a bunch of vegan baked goods.

You'd think wrong.

Bunner's Bakeshop
3054 Dundas St W, Toronto, Ontario M6P 1Z7, Canada
Facebook page

OK, technically, April and the hedgehogs stopped at Bunner's the next morning, on the way out of Toronto. Free parking didn't exist, so April broke the law a little bit and parked in a metered spot in front of the shop, ran in, ooh-ed and aah-ed over EVERYTHING, bought some deliciousness, and skedaddled as quickly as possible.











April ended up with a savory chili cheeze pocket -



a butter tart -



(Hedgie is mad at Buttercup for some reason. Perhaps she didn't want to share the butter tart.)



a s'mores cupcake -



and a sweet roll -



It took 4 hours to drive from Toronto to Canton, Michigan (where April would be staying that night). The first three items made the drive a lot more pleasant, and the sweet roll was a delicious end to the day later that evening.


April gets a bed, and the hedgehogs get a bed. Seems fair.

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Mamma's Pizza, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (and Hedgehogs On The Beach)

After visiting Niagra Falls (and narrowly avoiding an international incident involving Buttercup and a barrel), April and the Hedgehogs proceeded to April's cousin's house in Toronto. After successfuly navigating the World of Metric Measurements, they made it to their destination safely. April's cousin and her husband were eager to show the travelers around the gorgeous neighborhood where they live part-time (the rest of the time, they're Austinites as well!)

A stroll down Queen's Street had April ooh-ing and aah-ing over the architecture, neat shops, and plentiful vegan food options. (April wanted to try this place while she was there, but didn't get the chance.) A dinner decision was made when the group was greeted with this tempting sign -



Mamma's Pizza
2118 Queen Street East (Beaches) Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Many other locations)
Facebook page



The group decided to get a large pizza, half of which would be Vegan Olive Press (Olive Oil, Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Red Peppers, Eggplant, Broccoli, Garlic and Oregano). Mamma's also offers two other fancy vegan pizzas that feature Daiya cheese.

While waiting for the pizza to be ready, Hedgie and Buttercup indulged in some window shopping -



When the pizza was ready, the group strolled back to April's cousin's house. It's so nice to be able to walk everywhere! The pizza was really delicious (though April is a sucker for potatos on pizza, so it was an easy sell), and a good value for the money.



After dinner, everyone decided to go for a walk on the nearby beach.





For the rest of the week, April meant to get more sight-seeing, but ended up spending most of the time indoors hand-embroidering and hand-sewing the banner for her solo music act, which had to be completed before she got to GenCon.



Luckily, the banner was finished in time, and the last day in Toronto was dedicated to sight-seeing and eating.